Rudi

Thelonious Monk. In fact, his wife called him 'Melodious Thunk'. So there's hard evidence for ya.

It doesnt matter which way you go. Try a variety of ways and let your ears decide. Music only has rules for teaching. After a while they become guidelines. After a longer while they should disappear altogether.

Ah, that explains it then

Vinyl LP art was a nice canvas. CD art has always been too small. So former LP art often looks a bit pony scaled down. I think the covers dont need to be artwork. I think my CD sleeve will just be be lemon yellow. MP3 covers are something else right?

ITS A BEAUTIFUL DAY TODAY - MOBY GRAPE

Its reassuring to be in the company of other struggling wannabe-but-determined singers. I had a limited but measurable degree of success studying a coaching book (singing for dummies). I didnt finish it. I got about one third through and resolved to sing in the car to & from work. I discovered a range I didnt know about. I discovered that the technique I had been using for years was bad for me. -Hence shouting myself hoarse after every gig (and I only do background vocals too). So you Kel are allready on a programme of some sort. Thats good. As for style, though it might be possible to 'invent' your style, I dont think thats a good idea. For us vocally challenged types, we need all the options available to us. Choosing to do things one way can only limit you. I suggest ignoring style until you have completed your course, and have tried as many ways of using your voice as you can. (You familiar with Captain Beefheart? A highly unusual singer, but he used his voice in many different ways depending on the song. He had a whole bunch of styles) I found that the book showed how classical singers use thier voices. I know because I started to sound that way when I followed the instruction. I have no intention of singing my songs in some sort of idiotic psuedo opera voice, but the technique is still useful, and I wouldnt have discovered it on my own. You sound frustrated and impatient. I share the frustration. The impatience will only hinder you I think. I think that style can be made up of : 1/ Techniques that you are good at. 2/ Ways of dealing with techniques that you are poor at. 3/ Learning how to better write for your voice and 3b/ Learning to adapt the song you aspire to sing to your voice. 4/ The strengths of weaknesses of your physiology. (example: I need more vocal stamina. I need to strengthen my lung power. Until then I have to leave out the long notes and shimering vibrato) None of the above are designer choices, yet are foundations of style. additional. I grew up distening to american singers & singers who copied ameican singers. So I sound like that. Now though, I try to minimise that influence. So that is a choice change with only a little to do with technique. Good luck Kel

hi aoa I know there are one or two uke players here. Ideally it would be nice to have many other instruments covered, but they need to be sustained to be of much use. There used to be a keyboard one too. Even that disapeared despite lots of us having keys. Do you gig your uke? Record? Rudi

I love you more today than yesterday - Spiral Staircase (wingnut = thread = helix = spiral)

Hey thanks Tom. You know a lot more about this than I even considered. The link doesnt work where I am now. I'll try later using my own router. Cheers Rudi

In terms of uploading audio (recordings) for others to hear: 1/ What are the pros & cons of Songcloud & Youtube etc. ? I am considering these options now.

Wen know we are all individuals, but its nice to communicate sometimes. Good communication means being open to others ideas and being flexible with your own.

Clear? Not sure what you mean Jeniffer. Clear as in elocution? Clear as in intonation? Something else? Give us a fighting chance here Rudi

I had a strat for 25 years. It was a breeze to re-string. Likewise with the acoustics. I didnt know that about the frets Mike. I had always assuned they were stainless steel. The fenders certainly look like a bright steel. I had better try to find out what Jackson use.

You will need to cut your nails on the fretting (left hand for most of us) short. Dont turn up with long nails.

Los Lobos. They are true artists with a lifelong commitment to music. This is continually demonstrated by their attitude to touring, collaborating and making new music on an on-going basis. It is best demonstrated however, by the quality of what they do; made manifest by the love they invest in it.

I think there was an expectation in the 70s of ‘the next kind of music’, ...‘the next big thing’. When it didn’t come, some (West Coast) musicians said “So are we just going to re-hash the whole f-ing thing again? …We hope not!â€. It was expected, because it had been happening that way up until that time. There had been some radical changes in music all the way back since before ragtime at the turn of the previous century (1900). But it didn’t come. Instead there were little side-roads explored, funk & punk etc. None of those things were radically different, and none of them replaced rock. Punk was a crude cartoon of rock. Funk blended soul and moved forwards about 3 inches and gave up. Reggae was different, but it was not universal enough & didn’t replace rock either. It co-existed for a while, like soul has done. Computer music (techno etc) use a different means of production and new voices, but the form is still old school. So 40 years on and there is still no ‘next big thing’, just endless sub-divisions of rock & soul. Creativity is out there, but there is a stagnation of form. We did just re-hash the whole f-ing thing again and again. The annoying thing used to be the media moguls being stuck in this rut of looking to youth for the ‘next thing’ and coming up empty. Now they have given up entirely and reverted back to the glorification of show-biz. I think that right now is very similar thing to the 1940’s approach. Curiously though, it was that ‘endless stream of sh*t’ (quote- David Crosby) that presaged the birth of rock & roll in the 1st place.

Fresh Garbage – Spirit

I enjoy playing bass (4 strings), but it doesnt come easy to me. I know my way around it ok, I just veer of the beat unless I concentrate hard.

Love Street - The Doors

I wrote a song lyric called 'just another cucumber'. However, when I put it to music it became 'just another shallot'. There are very few songs about vegatables you know.

You lot are so organisied. Kel, Your bridge function has just given me a good idea for mine. Thanks

Changing strings on a steel strung flat top is a pretty straightforward affair. I agree that dull strings on an acoustic sound worse. Much worse. I have never changed any bass strings (yet). Looks easy enough. Those are expensive though at around £20 a set. I always fancied a 5 string banjo. Looks fun. Floyd rose system are a pain because the bridge ‘floats’. You daren’t take all the strings off, or you will ruin the set-up. So you have to remove & replace 1 string at a time (and then fully tune it) to minimise disruption to the tensioning and to the bridge position (which affects action & intonation).

I thought kazoos could only play zip-piddy-doo-dah?

I did it. The questions are brilliant. Very incisive.